If you’re interested in learning more about how our Functional Medicine approach can help ease Digestive System conditions:
Join us on August 24, 2017, at 600pm for a FREE lecture, hosted by Dr. Ian Hollaman.
Attendees will be invited to enjoy exclusive, new patient pricing.
Call us, OR register with the form at the bottom of this article today. Space is limited! (p) 303.882.8447
Your gut is struggling when you have IBS/IBD. Did you know that the number of bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract outnumber your body’s cells by a factor of 10! These microbes make up the gut microbiome and are incredibly important to your health and wellness. They are involved in your metabolism, weight, nutrition and absorption, physiology, and immune function. Without these bacteria, you cannot digest properly, keep invasive bacteria at bay, lose weight, balance blood sugar, or live! In utero, your microbiome is nonexistent. It begins as you pass through the birth canal and the vaginal mucosa microbiome is exposed to your body. It is further developed through nursing, formula, and food. Perhaps not surprisingly, a child’s microbiome is very much like the mother’s microbiome. As a result, children can face similar health problems as their mother. For example, if your mother had IBS, it is probable that you will also because your immune systems are similar due to similar microbiomes. Very commonly, patient report that they were not breast fed, had a short duration of breast feeding or were not exposed to the outdoor environment heavily in early years.
I love dirt! My kids love dirt! In fact, they play in it nearly every day. It is their happy place. One of the many great benefits of playing in the dirt is that it supports your microbiome. There are so many beneficial bacteria in the dirt that when they get in and on your body, your body actually becomes healthier! The more nutrient rich the soil is, the more nutrients your body is exposed to. But also, the more nutrient dense the soil when growing plants, the stronger and healthier the plants grow. If these are plants that you eat, there are more nutrients available to you for your body to grow from. Symbolically, if you think of your gut microbiome like the dirt, the more complex the gut microbiome the better your GI tract can work and process food, metabolize, digest, excrete properly, and fight off invaders.
Recent research backs this theory up and a study published in 2010 by Thom Mcdade (http://snip.ly/8vn8s#https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/july/germs-at-four-less-inflammation-at-forty/) enhanced the theory that early and continuous exposure to bacteria regulates our immune system later in life. “The developing immune system is similar to the brain,” McDade says. “No one questions that a baby needs exposure to language to drive the neurological processes that underlie the development of speech. The immune system is similar; its development is driven by exposures from the environment. In this case, the key exposures are microbial. Without those exposures, it doesn’t work quite right.”
Your GI tract is home to between 70-90% of your immune system and the microbiome is what develops and maintains your immune system. The tiny bacteria adhere to the mucosal lining of your digestive tract, eating nutrients around them. They eat the same nutrients as some “invaders” and keep them in check by eating their food source. Without the microbiome, “invaders” would be able to take over and your health would fail. In fact, this is how some illnesses develop.
Since there is not a single cause for IBS or IBD, and western medicine goes so far as to say there is no known cause for IBS or IBD. As a result, traditional treatment revolves around the symptoms. Western doctors typically recommend removing the foods that seem to trigger your symptoms; increase fiber and water, and limit FODMAPs food which are specific sugars found in some fruit, vegetables, grains, and dairy products. And when these changes don’t solve the problem, medications are recommended to suppress symptoms as they occur. Antidiarrheals such as Imodium, Laxatives for constipation; Anticholinergics and antidepressants are used for the pain (and now anticholine drugs like allergy medications are strongly correlated to dementia). Since it is emotionally taxing and anxiety ridden to have these conditions, anti depressants and anti anxiety medications are recommended to help the emotional swings. Standard treatment for IBS and IBD generally do not support your microbiome. In fact, one of the most common therapies for IBD, corticosteroids, destroys the diversity of the microbiome and leaves people more susceptible to pathologic infections and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth! Corticosteroids are also known to decrease bone density, making bones weaker. Without any other options, patients are told to take these medications without fully understanding that later in life your immune system may become significantly weaker and trivial falls could create fractures to your bones!
We work with clients every day who desire a better life and are willing to make the appropriate health modifications to regain their health and leave IBS/IBD in the past. I have dedicated my practice to working with patients who truly want to create change in their life and be healthy. For nearly a decade, functional medicine has been the corner stone of our care; every day with every client, to help them reach their goals and let their health soar. And the results are incredible!
Functional medicine is key for me being able to offer insights into your health. I can’t say that IBS and IBD are caused by any one thing. But I can say that I can help you address the weaker links that lead to IBS and IBD. Through functional medicine, I am able to look beyond your individual symptoms to the web that they create and the underlying causes for them. Your body is communicating what it needs through its symptoms, from pain and uncomfortable bowel movements to depression and bloating. Stool, saliva, and blood testing give further insight into where your body needs support. Understanding how to interpret the messages from symptoms and testing allows me to guide you back to health. I work extensively with you to develop a diverse, complex microbiome as well.
Creating a diet that is specific to your body’s needs and supplements that target your needs accomplishes this. Specific therapies like Chiropractic, visceral manipulation and Pulsed Electromagnetic therapy can also change how the immune system signals. Since you are a dynamic person, your needs are unique to you. We create individualized care plans to get you the results you want quickly and comfortably.
We work with clients every day who desire a better life and are willing to make the appropriate health modifications to regain their health and leave IBS/IBD in the past. I have dedicated my practice to working with patients who truly want to create change in their life and be healthy. For nearly a decade, functional medicine has been the corner stone of our care; every day with every client, to help them reach their goals and let their health soar. And the results are incredible!
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired look to the bugs as the source of true health! Contact us and we will determine if we can help you at a deeper level and give you back the life you deserve!
If you’re interested in learning more about how our Functional Medicine approach can help ease your Thyroid condition symptoms:
Join us on August 24, 2017 at 600pm for a FREE lecture, hosted by Dr. Ian Hollaman.
Attendees will be invited to enjoy exclusive, new patient pricing.
Call us, OR register with the form below. Space is limited! (p) 303.882.8447
